Chasing the Tide
by edmelon
Summary: When Kukai appears on their doorsteps at the crack of dawn with nothing but a tatty old map and a beaten-down camper van, his friends don't quite know what to expect from him next. Forget waiting until this latest crazy scheme of his blows over, he's up and ready to drag them on a wild road trip to God knows where right now! And they have no idea what they've let themselves in for.
1. Chapter 1

-l-l-

 _Summary:_ When Kukai appears on their doorsteps at the crack of dawn with nothing but a tatty old map and a beaten-down camper van, his friends don't quite know what to expect from him next. Forget waiting until this latest crazy scheme of his blows over, he's up and ready to drag them on a wild road trip to God knows where _right now!_ And they have no idea what they've let themselves in for.

-l-l-

Utau wasn't quite sure where her boyfriend found so much enthusiasm.

Honestly, she thought as she sighed yet again and turned away to watch the city scenery whip past the car window; he seemed to have an endless, inexhaustible well of energy somewhere deep down inside him. She, for one, could not talk for hours on end, barely drawing for breath, and still maintain that never-ending sense of enthusiasm and thirst for life that Kukai seemed to show on a daily basis. Not that that was a _bad_ thing, per se, but, then again…

" _Kukai."_ she snapped, shooting the man beside her the deadliest of side glances she could muster. "If you don't _shut up_ and keep your eyes on the road, you might as well pull over and get out - I can drive myself there _just fine."_

Beside her, Kukai pouted, cut off mid-sentence. "But _Utau!"_ he whined like a dejected puppy. "Come on, babe! It's exciting stuff!"

Utau didn't exactly class a long-distance call from her brother earlier that day ' _exciting stuff'_ , but to her pure amazement, it was pretty much all Kukai had been thinking about since she'd put the phone down and yelled at him to get his ass ready to drive her to the concert hall for her show that night. Kukai and her brother had never been exactly close. Well, he tried, bless him, but Ikuto had always been more like a closed book by nature and any attempt to sidle up to him was usually shot down just as quickly as it began. That and he would constantly claim that he just 'didn't have time for any of Kukai's shit'. She was sure he wasn't serious, but whatever, all that meant was that Kukai just hadn't succeeded yet. Utau would probably have been more bewildered by her boyfriend's enthusiasm for any of Ikuto's news had she not been more preoccupied thinking about her upcoming performance. Nonetheless, he chattered on beside her more still.

"I mean, come on, it's only been six months since he left last and think of all the places he's been!" Kukai started up again, his olive green eyes alight with a dazzling new sparkle. "He's seen more countries than I have soccer matches! Doesn't make a fuss - doesn't think twice. It's second nature to him by now to just get up in the morning and go! Not looking back!" He sighed wistfully. " _Man_ , Utau, that guy's living a good life, I can tell you that right now…"

She hummed in response, not really listening. He carried on, inspired.

"I'll bet he doesn't even know what's going to happen tomorrow. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine having that much freedom? Because I sure as hell can't and I'll tell you, Utau, it's starting to look pretty damn depressing."

"Kukai."

"You know I turned down that backpacking year before university? God, I don't know if I'd make that choice again. I don't know, babe, I was just too focused on the sport and not on…" he paused a moment, fumbling for the words. "Not on seizing the adventure! When will I ever get that chance in life again? What's that phrase - that really famous one? Come on, babe, you know the one I mean..."

"Kukai."

" _Carpe diem -_ or something or other like that. The one about seizing the day and all of life's opportunities. I mean, what have I done since graduation?"

" _Kukai."_

"Sure, I've been to Seoul once or twice, but apart from that I've never been further out than _Sihzuoka!_ Utau, there's some _cool_ places out there! Just in Japan _alone!"_

" _KUKAI!"_

This time Kukai actually jumped so fiercely that for a moment he was worried that he was going to veer off the road, but as he steadied the steering wheel and carried on, Utau was sat beside him - spitting flames, staring daggers.

" _Kukai, you've missed my turn! Pull over and I'll drive myself there!"_

Kuaki's ears turned pink. He hadn't even realised. "Okay, okay, okay, I'm sorry," he said meekly. "Look, look - I'm turning around. We're two minutes away, it's gonna be fine!"

" _Honestly!"_ Utau raged in her seat. She shook her head and stared out of the window again, afraid of unleashing her full fury upon him if she so much as _looked_ at his face. "I don't know what's gotten into you, Kukai! I don't give a fuck if Ikuto's been to five countries or _fifty_ \- right now you'll be going _nowhere_ if you don't get me to the concert hall on time!"

"Alright, babe, I'm sorry!"

" _And,"_ Utau began, her voice deadly and low; "you'll have to deal with _Yukari_ afterwards."

In the driver's seat, her boyfriend visibly gulped. There was no higher threat and he sure as hell knew it. If Utau was late and he was responsible... He shuddered. Concentrating now, he took the right turn on the road this time.

"Yes, ma'am."

-l-l-

Tadase and Nagihiko were both worried. Pretty damned worried, actually.

" _Aaaah, Utau was amazing!"_ Amu squealed, still caught up in the excitement of the evening. Utau's latest show was long over by now and, as it was, they were all filing out through the doors into the grand lobby area of the concert hall, but most of the audience had certainly been left on quite a high.

Except, it seemed, for Kukai.

And that was worrying. That was concerning beyond belief, as far as Tadase was concerned. The girls hadn't noticed, apparently. Amu was oblivious to most things most of the time and Rima wasn't exactly paying him much attention when she had Amu hanging off her arm the entire night. Only Tadase and Nagihiko shared those same troubled looks as they watched their friend lead the way into the bar area. He was holding himself well enough and he engaged in all conversation as usual, but something was definitely off. The spring in his step was gone and his eyes were far-off and distant...

And Tadase didn't like it at all.

"Oh, please," Rima was saying to Amu, rolling her pretty little eyes. "Leave it to Utau to be amazing."

Amu laughed lightly. She knew Rima wasn't really being rude, but Kukai always wound up pretty defensive over his girlfriend. She glanced over at him and was relieved to find that he hadn't overheard them. Still, she didn't want any slip-ups. "Come on," Amu said quickly, taking Rima by the elbow and nodding over towards the bathrooms. "We'll be right back, guys," she said. "See if you can get something to drink for the road, yeah?"

Tadase nodded and the girls were gone, heading back into the crowd. He was sure he could see Amu scolding the petite blond beside her and he chuckled fondly. But, looking back, he could see Kukai already making off towards the bar without a word, looking deep in thought. He frowned.

"Well, that _does_ look worrying." Nagihiko sidled up beside him and finally voiced what they'd both been thinking all night. "You think he's ill?"

"Kukai?" Tadase began. "I'm not sure."

"Huh," Nagi chuckled without humour. "I was hoping you'd say yes… Because otherwise we've got a problem."

The blonde sighed. When they went over to join their friend, he half-wished that he could have joined Amu and Rima. Nagihiko seemed to be determined on interrogating Kukai and making him lay all his troubles bare before them. Which, Tadase had to admit, Nagi was very good at. He could make you spill a secret or nudge you into his way of thinking without you even realising what was going on. Knowing this, Tadase wasn't even surprised that he'd failed to notice the connection between Nagihiko and 'Nadeshiko' sooner. If Nagi wanted to keep something hidden from you, it would stay hidden. If he wanted something _out_ of you… Well then you'd best be ready because he more often than not got what he wanted in the end. He would make a terrific detective, Tadase often thought.

Right now, Nagi was putting on that placid poker face of his and leaning up against the bar beside their friend. "So, how are you doing, Kukai?" he asked pointedly, as if they hadn't just spent the entire evening together as a group.

The blond held a breath and looked over, waiting for his response. He was mentally bracing himself. To him, Kukai looked as though he was mentally at war with himself. He his brows were slightly furrowed and he had been distracted the entire afternoon. And Tadase knew that whatever was enough to trouble Kukai was probably enough to trouble them all. He hadn't looked like this since… Well… Tadase couldn't even remember.

He decided to try and press himself; "You doing okay?"

Their usually bubbly friend shrugged. "Sure I am," he said. To be fair to him, there was no hesitation in his reply, yet still… There was something there in his tone that Tadase and Nagihiko couldn't quite place. "Why? Although, if I'm honest, I'm still a little pissed off. I almost crashed on the way here. You try driving Utau around all day when she's all angsty over this performance business. Good _God."_ and he paused, his shoulders tensed and his teeth on edge as if he were reliving some terrible memory.

Tadase couldn't help but laugh. "She gets nervous, I get that." he said. "Still, she was great tonight. You oughta be proud."

"Don't get me wrong, I sure am!" Kukai grinned properly for the first time that night. "Would just be nice to have a bit of a breather for a while."

Nagihiko leaned across the counter and thanked the bartender for their drinks before returning back to the conversation. He was watching Kukai with that stare that made Tadase feel like he could see right through you. It was unnerving, yet damned effective.

"Oh?"

"Well…" he paused for a moment, like he couldn't find the words. He opened his mouth, as if about ready to pour his heart out to them and then closed it again, struggling to let it go. "I don't know, Nagi. I dunno, man," Kukai sighed; "don'tcha ever just wanna get away, you know? Just hop on in the car and just _drive_ somewhere — anywhere! Just for the thrill?"

That was unexpected. Nagi frowned. Tadase had forgotten about the drink in his hand. Kukai was many things, he knew, and he knew that his friend was perhaps the most impulsive person he'd ever met… But Kukai was also full of life and energy. He had never known him to sound so desperate and defeated in all the years they'd known each other. For quite a few moments, he didn't know how to react.

"Kukai, you sound like you're having a midlife crisis, are you sure you're okay?"

He laughed at that - a loud, clear laugh - and shook his head, his shaggy brown hair flopping about in all directions. "What, like some old man? Come on, Tadase, bro. No, I just mean… Well, don't you ever feel that? Wouldn't you just be so _down_ for that?"

There was a pause whilst Tadase considered this. "I suppose so..." He said uncertainly. "I mean, to see more of the world must be nice..."

And Kukai grinned and suddenly there was that old, familiar light in his eyes and a twinkle in his grin that somehow seemed to bring his old self back to life. "I hear that, man."

But Nagihiko still didn't look convinced. His expression grave, he placed down his glass and opened his mouth to go on, but Kukai gasped as he caught a look at the clock on the wall. He hopped down off his bar seat, in a panic.

" _Crap,_ I'd better get out back!" Kukai tapped at his watch and gestured vaguely at the exit. "I promised Utau I'd be on the ball for a quick getaway – Sanjou's been hassling her for some job stuff or something lately. Anyway, never mind, I'll catch up with you guys later!"

And before either of them could reply, Kukai was bouncing away through the oncoming crowds and out of sight, more like his old self again than he'd been all night. Tadase laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his head. "You've gotta hand it to him, at least he's still full of life."

"Well," Nagihiko began sceptically, "I don't know what's up, but it sounds to me like he just feels… stuck."

"Stuck?" Tadase said. "I don't know, look at him over there – he's all over the place!"

Nagihiko sighed heavily, running a hand through his long hair. He could see Amu and Rima emerging from the masses over by the bathrooms. It was probably best to end this conversation now whilst they couldn't overhear.

"Kukai's always full of life." Tadase said, a fond smile twitching at the corners of his lips. "It's been a while since his last crazy scheme, it's probably just been building up."

Nagi hummed in response, though unconvinced. The blond beside him shook his head.

"I'll call him tomorrow." Tadase resigned. "We can't have _Kukai_ of all people with a midlife crisis."

"I suppose." Nagi said and it seemed that that was that. Rima and Amu had reached them, chatting animatedly about the night's performance and whether or not they'd get to sneak backstage and congratulate Utau and the group made to head off. Once the girls were in step in front of them, Tadase looked over and gave him a reassuring smile. It couldn't have been as disastrous as Nagihiko thought.

-l-l-

Or, at least, that's what Tadase had hoped. That's what Tadase had been counting on right up until that moment at precisely six o'clock the next morning when he found himself startled awake by the most unbearable, high-pitched, honking sound he'd ever heard.

He lifted his head from his pillow heavily and let out the most exasperated, uncharacteristic groan. Tadase was not a morning person. At least not before eight. Or coffee. And so he heaved himself out of bed in a daze, pulling down his bunched up t-shirt, and plodded over to the window where the deafening clamour was still sounding, irregular and piercing. He brushed back the curtains and cast his eyes over to the garage, thinking that a car alarm was sounding.

"Yo! _Tadase!"_

His stomach dropped. He swallowed thickly.

"Souma?"

And sure enough, Kukai was stood on the path outside, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, waving up at the window and beaming–

 _"You still in?"_

And he was stood beside the ugliest, most battered looking camper van Tadase had ever seen.

"If we leave by seven, we can still miss the traffic!"

-l-l-

 _A/N_ : Well, what can I say. I love Kukai and his personality so much. His thirst for life, his positive attitude… Seriously, everybody needs a Kukai in their life. So here, have more of him. This chapters feels so wishy-washy to me. My writing's been suffering lately, but I've had this idea for so many, _many_ years, I just needed to do something with it!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy ^^


	2. Chapter 2

-l-l-

He must've been seeing things. He _must_ have been dreaming. He was probably still tucked up safe and sound under his comfy duvet in his cushy bed, dreaming up some ridiculous scenario involving his dear friend and a rusty camper van. Surely that was it. _Surely_ it couldn't all be real. Even _Kukai_ surely wouldn't have been so bold as to turn up unannounced and ready to pack up for God knows where…

At least, that's what Tadase had thought. Now, though, as he stood in his driveway with a hot cup of coffee for support and a baffled expression on his weary face, he was forced to believe otherwise.

"What is _this?"_

Kukai, so inappropriately bright and chipper for this time of the morning, waved a hand back over his shoulder and gestured to the vehicle behind him, slumped lazily up against the kerb like it was on its last set of wheels — like just the drive over here had been too much for it. It was drab and sorry and looked as though it had probably been quite cheerfully coloured once; painted in crisp white and summer-sky blue… _Once._ Once upon a time long, long ago — at a time way before Kukai had so rudely and abruptly decided to haul them out of bed on some irrepressible whim.

"Well?" his excitable friend beamed, "What d'you think?"

If Kukai had been expecting some sort of glorious praise for his actions, he was going to be sorely disappointed.

"Kukai, what in the name of-"

 _SKREEEEEE!_

The shrill squeal of metal against metal cut Tadase off mid-sentence. He recoiled in horror at the torturous sound and watched as the side door of the camper van was laboriously pulled back to reveal a familiar purple-haired young man sat inside on the scruffy leather seats.

" _Nagi?"_

Nagihiko looked as though he hadn't slept in days. He grumbled, his voice thick with exhaustion; "Morning, Tadase."

Tadase's jaw was dropping closer to the pavement by the second. He took an extra large swig of extra strong coffee in the weakest hope that the pure caffeinated energy might bring him back to earth. "What exactly _is_ this?" he choked out.

" _This_ is my new pride and joy!" Kukai patted the side of the van fondly and Tadase watched as some of the paint crumbled away beneath his fingertips. "All ready to go! Bought her from a local fella just the other day. I've been eyeing something like this for _months!_ She's proper vintage and everything! All she needs is a top-up on fuel and a ready and willing set of passengers and we're good to go!" He suddenly stopped and faced his friend with the biggest, most concerned eyes Tadase had ever seen — like a little kid who had just been denied a promised lollipop. "You _are_ still in, right?"

Dumbfounded, Tadase wished he'd brought a bigger cup of coffee. "In on _what?"_

Kukai looked at him as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, his face glowing in the orange sunrise and an excited spark in his eyes;

"An _adventure!"_

There was a moment of silence. Besides the fact that he couldn't remember _ever_ agreeing to _anything_ of the sort, Tadase was struggling. Really, truly struggling. He wondered if he'd missed out on something crucial until he recalled the conversation they had had the night before. Honestly, he hadn't expected anything to come of it! He hadn't thought he'd be having to deal with _this_ as at the crack of dawn on a bloody weekend! And, even if he had, he'd never agreed to anything concrete! Just as he was fumbling over his own words in an attempt to form a coherent response, Nagihiko sighed heavily behind them.

"Before you say anything," he began, rubbing his tired eyes; "I told him this was completely stupid."

Kukai huffed, looking deflated. " _Hey,"_

"Kukai." Nagi said. "I'm not convinced."

"What's there that needs to be convincing?" was his oh-so-persuasive response. He and Nagi had begun to stare each other down — you could practically _see_ the sparks fly between their eyes, like lightning and fire — and Tadase wondered briefly whether it was worth going back inside and making breakfast in the time it would inevitably take the two of them to battle it out together.

"Well," Nagihiko folded his arms and leaned forward in his seat, as ever absolutely ready for a challenge; "first of all, where exactly are you planning to _go?"_

"A-ha!" Kukai exclaimed. He looked as though his prayers had been answered; as though his wildest, most profound of wishes had just come true. "I was _hoping_ someone was going to ask me that! Feast your eyes, gentlemen!" he said and, seemingly out of nowhere, he produced a fully annotated map, riddled with scrawls and highlighter marks, and spread the entire thing out over one of the passenger seats. Whether knowingly or not, Nagihiko let out the most exasperated sigh in existence. Tadase, now intrigued and feeling a little more awake than he had been five minutes ago, leant against the side of the van (he half-hoped it wouldn't topple over), bit his lip and tried not to laugh.

"My," he said, the amusement dancing in his ruby eyes; "You've certainly thought this thing out."

"Oh, you betcha I have!" Kukai responded brightly. He placed his finger over the spot that marked their current location — just outside of Tokyo — and ran his finger across one of the highlighted lines that ran its way west through Japan. "See, if we go all the way along here—"

"What's that other line?" Nagi interrupted flatly, sounding utterly defeated and most probably stifling back a yawn. Tadase looked over his shoulder. There were two routes marked clearly on the map amongst all the scribbles and pencil marks. Kukai tapped one and then the other.

"This here's the way there, and this one's the way back." he explained. "Although, they're just rough outlines. I mean, think about it — we can go anywhere!"

Nagi didn't even try to cover up his mouth as he yawned this time. "And where is ' _there'_ , exactly?"

Tadase followed the route. His jaw was quickly dropping open again, staring aghast at the little spot marked to the west. "You want to go all the way to _Miyazaki?"_ he exclaimed, utterly taken aback. "That's about a fifteen hour drive!"

At this, Nagi sat bolt upright in his seat again and stared at the map in disbelief. A brief flash of panic swept over his face at the very thought of being locked in this deathtrap of a vehicle with an excitable Kukai — _Kukai! —_ for fifteen hours straight. It would be like taking a puppy for its first drive. " _Miyazaki?_ Kukai, the plane journey would be quicker!"

Kukai scoffed. "You're not seeing the _bigger picture,_ man!" he insisted. "Where's your sense of _adventure?_ Where's your lust for freedom? What about everything on the way! You see here?" he tapped his finger against one of many little 'x's that had been scrawled around the highlighted route. "These are all the places of interest on the way there — I've got 'em all mapped out, we can pick and choose as we please!"

Nagihiko opened his mouth to protest, but quickly closed it again. He leaned back once more and shut his eyes. Tadase wondered if he was counting to ten in his head. It would've probably been much better for Kukai to dump this on them sometime later… Later, when they weren't so sleep deprived. Tadase rubbed his bleary eyes. Kukai carried on.

"We'll have to refuel before we go," he said; "But, aside from that, we're all set. Just grab some things you think you'll need and we're on the road!"

And, before Tadase could protest, Kukai had folded up his map and bounced into the driver's seat, making what he was sure were very important and necessary checks. He slumped against the side of the vehicle, much like how the old thing itself had resigned itself to the curb, and sighed. Beside him, Nagi stirred, still grumbling;

"I thought you were supposed to _talk_ to him."

He stared at his friend blankly for a moment before responding. "It's six o' clock in the morning! I wasn't planning on calling him at the first stroke of sunlight!" Honestly, what sort of a superhuman did Nagi think he _was_ at this time of day? He watched as Nagi rolled his eyes, trying to look unimpressed, but definitely defeated. "Besides," he went on, tipping out the last few drops of his coffee onto a patch of grass and setting the mug on top of his letterbox. "Did you not think to try and dissuade him once he turned up at your house with a _camper van?"_

"Well, of course I did!" Nagihiko sighed, glancing over his shoulder as Kukai spread the map out over the dashboard, already behind the wheel and raring to go. "But, look at him. I figured it'd be near useless to try and talk him out of it now he's so hyped... The least I can do is make sure he doesn't go mad over it."

"Or get lost." Tadase chuckled softly. "Good Lord, he's going to go overboard on his own, isn't he?" And he folded his arms and surveyed the interior of this little camper van which he supposed he would making himself quite comfortable in over the coming days. "I guess we're in for the ride then."

" _Oi!"_ the two of them turned to find Kukai strapping himself in and turning the keys in the ignition. "If you two are both done nattering like a pair of old women—" (Nagi and Tadase cringed visibly as the old camper van coughed to life with a plume of grey smoke) "—then let's hit the road!"

-l-l-

Nagihiko and Tadase were both very disappointed (but not entirely surprised) to find that the ride would not be a smooth one. They weren't quite sure how old Kukai's new 'pride and joy' was, but the two were already busy placing bets in the backseat. Tadase was sure that the vehicle was at least thirty to forty years old — Kukai _had_ said that it was vintage, after all — whilst Nagi maintained the idea that it was probably the oldest surviving vehicle in existence full stop.

Whichever it was though, it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that with every bump; every dip; every little, insignificant crack or crevice that presented itself in the road before them, the entire thing would start to crunch and squeak and rock precariously from side to side. Going over speedbumps was absolute hell. The boys in the back frantically searched for any sort of handhold and gripped on for dear life as the camper van jostled painfully over a pothole.

" _Good God, Kukai!"_ Nagihiko gasped out. "Did you not test drive this thing before you bought it?" If he hadn't been awake at the start of this journey, he certainly was now. Twenty minutes in and they were well on their way — on the road and heading towards Miyazaki (they hoped). Honestly though, none of them were really sure that the van was even going to make it.

In the front seat, Kukai was still thoroughly unfazed at being rocked about like a sailboat in a stormy sea. "You don't just ' _test drive'_ a vintage car!" he balked. "Besides, I couldn't just walk away from her!" He patted the dashboard fondly. "'She's got character."

"'She'." Nagi repeated numbly. "That's it. Once he's attached to it there's no hope."

"Let's see how he does when ' _she'_ breaks down," Tadase pointed out, his knuckles white as he grasped at the edge of his seat, locked in a death grip. And then he sighed heavily and forced a smile across his pale face. "Still," he began, unusually high; "at least you can't say that this won't be exciting!"

"That's the spirit!" Kukai clapped loudly once or twice in encouragement, missing the looks of utter panic on his friend's faces as they watched his hands leave the wheel. "I can't believe it's happening! It's perfect — the perfect road trip!"

"Well," Tadase began; "it _is_ summer… My last _proper_ summer break before graduation…" He loosened his grip on the cracked leather seat just a little as the road smoothed out and the shaking eased up. "I've thought about taking trips through Europe next year after I finish studying. This is some good inspiration, I guess."

"Yeah," Nagi laughed drily. "Just make sure you don't accidentally purchase a mobile death trap." He thought for a moment. "And if you're thinking of taking anybody, it'd be nice if you _didn't_ just drop it on them _at gone five a.m.!"_

Kukai either couldn't or didn't want to hear him. He drove on, easing off the speed as they joined a busier main road. All was quiet for a moment until Nagihiko frowned. Something seemed to flash across his face — as if he had suddenly remembered something important.

" _Kukai…"_ he began, dangerously cautious, leaning forwards now to peer between the front seats. "Out of interest… What have you told Utau?"

There was a sudden crunch as a pothole opened beneath one of the wheels and another heart-wrenching jolt as the van shook sideways. Nagihiko was thrown back into his seat. Kukai paled, an absolute contrast to his earlier demeanour. As the van straightened back out and as Nagi and Tadase concentrated on calming their heart rates, Kukai swallowed loudly.

"Well," he licked his dry lips, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "First of all…" He paused. Nagi and Tadase leaned forwards, hanging on his every word.

"Well?" Tadase asked tentatively.

" _Please don't tell her!"_

Nagi blinked. "What?"

In front of them, Kukai laughed nervously, his voice squeaking. "Please don't tell Utau that I'm on my way to Miyazaki!"

The other two exchanged amused glances. How predictable of their best friend.

"You haven't told her?" Tadase confirmed, his lips twitching into an amused smile. "What did you say to her before you left?"

Kukai stammered uselessly over his words for a minute. "I-I— I didn't tell her anything!" he said. "I mean— I told her I was renting a car and visiting some old college friends around Shizuoka and that I might see some sights with them for a few days — but that's it!"

Nagi's mood was positively uplifted. He laughed out loud, forgetting about their peril enough to release his hold on the side door which he had been clutching at throughout the entirety of their journey so far. "You're a dead man!" he managed to breathe out. "When she finds out! Oh, Kukai! A few _days?_ "

"Why didn't you just ask her to come along?" Tadase asked and realised as soon as the words left his lips that it was an utterly stupid, _ridiculous_ question. "Ah, of course. She wouldn't have been impressed, no?"

Kukai nodded solemnly. "Utau just doesn't _get it_ , you know?"

"And what about the others?" Nagihiko pointed out then. He folded his arms and allowed himself to lean back in his seat, something he'd been wary of in case the entire thing caved beneath him. "Shouldn't you have turned up on their doorsteps too?"

Kukai frowned back at him in the front mirror, aghast. "What? And wake Amu and Rima up early on a weekend?" He shuddered in his seat. "You think I'm not in trouble enough already with Utau?"

Behind him, Tadase was nodding resolutely in absolute agreement. None of them would ever forget the time Kukai had had his 'oh so brilliant!' idea to try to wake Amu at 6am for 'training purposes', nor the time he'd thought it hilarious to see how Rima reacted to being woken by a megaphone the last time they'd slept over.

Needless to say, Kukai was a very lucky man to still be walking this earth alive.

But, apparently too appalled at the injustice of the situation, Nagihiko tutted and turned away to watch the scenery fly past. "But _we're_ perfectly good? Okay. I get it."

"Hey," Kukai began; "I figured this'd be a bro's trip out, ya know?"

"I'm-I'm not sure I do…"

"Anyway!" their driver went on, beaming as they pulled out onto the main road out of town. "Where to first, men?"

-l-l-

 _A/N_ : A quick filler to try and get myself back into the swing of this story. I'd like to continue with it. There's a good few antics of Kukai's I wanna include, so I'm determined to get there.

Anyway, as always, feedback & suggestions appreciated! ^^


End file.
